Allagash Curieux

Pale yellow of color with a white head. An aroma of apples, pears, fruits and drnotes, no alcohol. A flavor of apples, pears, frutis, spice and muscato grapes, dry notes.

In short: A fizzy, fruity, woody and ultimately refreshing strong Belgian blonde ale.
How: Many tasting sessions
The look: Cloudy dark blonde body topped by a small white head.
In long: Barrel apparent on the nose. Very yeasty beer with fruity notes of pineapples, peach and other juicy light fruits. Honey sweetness is kept under control considering this is an 11% beer. Barrel is well integrated and finds its niche without crushing other elements of the beer. Some (or impression of) salty spices. Surprising hoppy finale with a medium bitterness. Alcohol well concealed, I would have guessed 8%. It’s rare that a high abv barrel-aged beer can be called refreshing but it’s the case here. Another winner from Allagash. I’d drink that type of strong and sweet refreshing beers until I have the body of a god. Buddha is a god.

Bottled August 2006. Pours an opaque, golden-orange color with a white, fairly small, fizzy but persistant head and nice but scattered lacing. Nose is bizarre but interesting; the JB note is apparent first but not overpowering, as if from a cocktail with bourbon. Other notes of light vanilla, tart lambic-esque notes, honey, light peach, and herbal notes. Flavor is nice as well but the bourbon flavors are more dominant with a good amount of sweet vanilla. Underlying notes of honey, light herbal bitterness, light tart peach notes, pepper, and even a coconut tinge as well. The oaken vanilla really complements the candi sugar notes of the tripel well with other flavors complementing nicely. Palate is great with a moderately full body, a soft carbonation, and a creamy, velvety texture with just the right amount of dryness from the herbal hops and the oak. Finishes fairly long and a bit dry with notes of vanilla, yeast, and light herbal (oregano, maybe?) with a lingering bourbon tinge. An interesting experiment to say the least; the vanilla notes really were accentuated with the other sweet notes and the oak went well with the other complementary flavors. The bourbon notes were a bit too dominant in the flavor which kept it from being great. Intriguing and certainly uniquely complex with an excellent palate and no noticable signs of alcohol at 11%. Not the best tripel I’ve had but certainly worth a try just for the uniqueness and innovativeness.

Bottled. Golden colour, small white head. Aroma is fruis, malts, hops and slight alcohol with some bourbon-oaky notes. Flavour is hops, malts, caramel, some slight alcohol and bourbon-barrells. Wellbalanced, and hides the alcohol quite well. Smooth and quite fullbodied.

On draft at Birreria Paradiso in Georgetown. Hazy gold with white head. Aroma is honey, flowers, and bourbon. Flavor is floral, bourbon, funky cheese, honey, sour dough. Not overly bourbon and acetone like some beers aged in bourbon barrels. Quite smooth and refreshing, even though I can detect the alcohol. Thanks to Greg at Birreria Paradiso for giving me this sample!

Medium hazy orange color - aroma of bourbon, bready yeast and a hint of vinegar. Flavor is strongly bourbonish - notes of banana, vanilla, spice, and hops at the back. Nice texture and clean finish. A pleasant sipper.

2004 vintage bottle, chris o shindig. Orangey straw, cloudy. Slightly gueuzey nose, oaky and some aceticness. Malt comes through. Flavour is quite yeasty hop. Malty tomes of sweetness. Very drinkable.

Bottle aged one year: Luminous golden. Brilliant clarity. Lathery and rocky white froth deposits intricate patches of lace with every sip. Brightly herbal aromatics with notes of plaster, dried pineapple, straw-tinged malt, vanillin, and unripe peaches dusted with black pepper. Touch of minerals. Fluffy and compact carbonation. Impeccably conditioned. Barrel-derived charred sugars clasp the palate and beautifully contrast with the Tripel elements and abundance of dried tropical fruits (coconut, pineapple, mango). Nutty oak and straw-tinged malt lay an extremely soft and clean foundation for the fruity esters which gracefully glide over the palate. Salty tannins awaken the palate and deepen the complexity. Peppery alcohol imparts dryness and bolsters the spicy phenolics, but is masterfully cloaked. Complementary sherry exudes ever so subtly and enhances the chewiness of the well-aged cakey malt, but the oxidation never dulls or tarnishes any of the resounding luster. Succulent fresh peach flavors and textures also help allay the papery oxidation, as do the palate-coating silky-vanilla barrel extractives and plastery yeast character. Sappy residuals interact with the malt sweetness and salty tannins to yield a sumptuous black-licorice effect. Closes creamy and moistly full with vanilla-infused caramel flavors which linger alongside a well-developed cakey malt fullness and a soft and understated brush of oak. Flawlessly attenuated. I’ve always thought highly of this beer but don’t recall it ever being so integrated and nuanced. The year of aging has obviously worked its magic.